BMS Summer Seminar 2024
A global spatio-temporal record of populations and species, spanning 200 years.
useful for studying extinct, extirpated or threatened species/populations
building baselines or study long term changes
metagenomics
vertebrate bias in current musueum-based population genomic studies
These are mostly similar to ancient DNA (aDNA) but perhaps not as exaggerated.
Images: Raxworthy & Smith 2021, TREE
Also extirpated in the Netherlands and South Korea
Images: Todisco et al 2020, Sci. Rep.
Correspondence in the Entomological journals suggest that the butterfly was already disappearing from the western part of its range. Last sighting in Kent 1925 (Pratt 1983, Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var)
Record of numerous releases within the 19th century - unclear if resident GB population survived into 20th century.
Debate on reasons of extinction:
“much mystery hangs over this species” - C.G. Barrett, 1893
Goals:
Were UK populations of A. crataegi distinct from European stock? Did they survive into the 20th Century?
Was the decline rapid or fast? For the latter we could expect to see no genomic erosion
Is there any evidence for a role of pathogen infection in the extirpation of UK butterflies?